Library cards are free and available to all Bow residents age 6 or older. Visit the library to get yours! Parents/caregivers will need to show proof of Bow residence when signing up. Dunbarton residents who attend Bow schools are also eligible for a free library card.
NEW! Creative Kits are monthly take-home bundles designed for our preschool and school-aged patrons. Beginning in September 2020, these kits will be available to registered families of children aged 3-7 and 8-12, and include a month's worth of crafts, science experiments, and reading recommendations designed for each age group. All instructions and many project materials will be included, along with a full calendar of suggested activities.
Throughout the month, we'll delve into each kit's contents with virtual read-alouds and book club meetings, hosted by the library!
Creative Kits will be available during the first week of each month, until the library is able to resume its schedule of in-person programs. We hope that these projects will support and inspire our school-aged patrons, wherever they're reading and learning from this year.
Supplies are limited and registration is required. To reserve a kit for your child, please sign-up with the appropriate age group using our online calendar. Registrations do not carry forward; you will need to sign-up for each month you plan to participate. Reserved kits can be picked up anytime during the first week of the month.
When possible, we will add a link to the projects and printables included in each month's kit. If you are unable to register for a particular program, the links here will provide virtual access to many of the included activities.
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Woven Paper Fish
Art Exploration: Frog Paper Crown
Art Exploration: Celery-Painted Fish
Art Exploration: Monet Water Lilies
STEM Exploration: Underwater Scope
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Climbing Spider
Art Exploration: Sponge Art Butterflies
Art Exploration: Paper Puppet Dragonflies
STEM Exploration: Caterpillar Racers
STEM Exploration: Water Striders
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Eric Carle-inspired Tissue Paper Collage
Art Exploration: Sky Color Watercolor Self-Portraits
Art Exploration: Pointillism Paintings
Art Exploration: Roman Mosaics
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Shooting Star Prints
Art Exploration: Spaceship Spinners
STEM Exploration: Straw Rockets
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Cardboard Camera
Art Exploration: Watercolor Snowflakes
STEM Exploration: Snow Globe Thaumatropes
STEM Exploration: Magnetic Ice Skater
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Rubber Band Banjos
Art Exploration: Homemade Harmonica
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Art Exploration: Clothespin Painting
Art Exploration: The Woods At Night
Newsletter, Book List & Printables
Cloud Identification Kit & Weather Wheel,
provided by Adventure in a Box
Art Exploration: Symmetry Painting
A new virtual program! Every Friday, listen to the first chapter of a middle-grade book read by our youth services librarian. This weekly podcast will introduce a range of recommended titles for readers aged 8-12, and include a mix of genres and topics. New recordings will be posted every week, and can be accessed anytime using the links below. Watch on your schedule, and reserve the books you like most! Look for episodes every week beginning Friday, January 8.
While You Listen: Active Listening Worksheet
Episodes:
January 08, 2021 | Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
January 15, 2021 | A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry
January 22, 2021 | The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz
January 29, 2021 | Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos
January 29, 2021 | When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (Newbury Medal Winner)
February 05, 2021 | Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
February 12, 2021 | Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
February 19, 2021 | Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton
February 26, 2021 | The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
March 05, 2021 | Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
March 12, 2021 | Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan
March 19, 2021 | The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
March 26, 2021 | Matilda by Roald Dahl
April 02, 2021 | The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
April 09, 2021 | From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
A virtual LEGO Challenge for kids of all ages. Follow us on social media with #bflbuildingchallenge to participate all year long! Visit our BFL Building Challenge Page.
The Great Stone Face Book Award is sponsored by the Children's Librarians of New Hampshire (CLNH), and is given each year to an author whose book receives the most votes from fourth through sixth grade students throughout the state. Each year, a committee chooses 20 recently published titles, which children then use as a guide for voting. The vote takes place every April during National Library Week, and the winner is announced in May. The purpose of the award is to promote reading enjoyment, to increase awareness of contemporary writing, and to allow children to honor their favorite books and authors.
The winner of the Great Stone Face Award for 2020 is New Kid by Jerry Craft!
Stop by the Great Stone Face Display at the Library to check out the 2020-2021 nominees. We have multiple copies of each title available, including several audiobooks. We also offer eBooks and audiobooks to download through the Libby app.